Yesterday’s blog outlined ways to maximize your website -- the first of four steps to make your online fundraising efforts as effective as possible. This blog will discuss the next step: developing an email strategy. Your goals with your email communication should be to get organized and to continue to uphold content as your focus.
Planning
1. Stay in touch with donors and potential donors through an email messaging program, which may include e-newsletters, event updates, and action alerts. Provide subscribers with useful and interesting information so they’ll want to read more.
2. Create your own email list and give potential donors a reason want to be a part of it – have a sign-up list at your organization’s events. Offer encouragement for your audience’s support, such as a raffle for a gift certificate.
3. Think about what you want to accomplish with your emails. Consider whether you’re aiming for fortifying your base of supporters, increasing subscribers by a set number, or making your existing email system more effective. Be sure you have a way of gauging your response, such as a clickthrough rate.
4. Remember that your supporters are part of the team. Survey them to find out how often you should email and what sorts of communication they would like to receive. Talk with some of your top donors, and discuss emails in your next volunteer meeting.
Content and Campaign
1. Be creative! Aim some of your messages toward supporters who care about particular issues. Think about the parts that your donors, potential donors, and volunteers play in your organization, and consider how you need to interact with them.
2. Give your audience a reason to hope by keeping your messages optimistic; notify your subscribers of goals accomplished.
3. When you make your email plans for the future, don’t use the same funds-petition over and over. Keep your messages diverse and interesting.
4. Experiment with your emails by sending half your subscribers one edition of your newsletter and a different edition to the other half – then determine which one has a higher clickthrough rate. Have a friend read both versions and give an opinion on which format was more appealing. Then incorporate those results into your future plans.
Information taken from www.fundraising123.org
--Kelsey Luffman is a Research Assistant at Christian Foundation Grants (www.christianfoundationgrants.com) which is subscription database of foundations that provide grants to faith based organizations. iDonate.com is a website (www.iDonate.com) that allows ministries to receive non cash gifts online.